Feed for spinning machines and method of use



Au 23, 1938. N .1. H. JEWETT, JR v 2,128,185

FEED FOR SPINNING MACHINES AND METHOD OF USE Filed April 15, 1936 J -J7 INVENTOR do/m/ b. c/EWL'TT, JR.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEED FOR SPINNING MACHINES AND METHOD OF USE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a feed for spinning or twisting machines.

In the art of spinning it is frequently desirable to produce novelty thread or yarn. By novelty thread is meant a thread in which the strands that are twisted are not fed to the spinning bobbin at uniform rates of speed. Where the rate of feed is uneven the effect is to produce a thread in which one strand will be wrapped around another for a short distance so that one strand will appear to entirely envelop the other. By varying the rate of feed the effect may be modified or reversed along the length of the thread. The unevenness in the finished thread may take the form of spaced knots or rough portions, at which point there will be a relatively larger amount of material. Such a novelty thread or yarn may be produced by providing an eccentric feed means to feed the individual strand to a spinning bobbin.

The broad general object of the invention is to provide a feed means for the production of novelty thread. Such an eccentric feed means is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 60,206, filed January 22nd, 1936.

Where a feed device of the type shown in my co-pending application is used, such a device will produce only one effect in the finished thread. In order to vary the effect it is necessary to substitute a differently shaped feed device. It is desirable to be able to vary the effect without having to substitute a different feeding mechanism. Therefore, the specific object of this invention is to provide a strand feeding device for a spinning machine to produce novelty thread, which feed means will be adjustable so that various effects may be produced in the finished thread.

In order to produce a novelty thread it is not necessary that all of the strands which are to be twisted be fed at varying speeds. Where twostrands are twisted together it is sufficient if the rate of feed of one strand is varied while the other strand may be constant as to its rate of feed. Where more than two strands of material are to be twisted into a single thread it may be desirable to have one or more of the strands or all of them fed at varying rates of speed. Accordingly, a further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable feed device for a spinning machine so that the rate of feed of one or 'more strands may be varied.

In standard spinning or twisting machines great care must be used to insure the even feed of the strands which are to be twisted together. 55v In the past, where novelty thread has been pro.-

duced, it has been necessary to provide special machinery, for this purpose. It is desirable to provide a feed means adapted for use with standard machinery so as to avoid the expense of duplication of machinery. Therefore, a further object of the invention is to provide a feed mechanism toproduce novelty thread which may be readily applied to existing standard machines.

Where a spinning or twisting machine is provided with feed means of the type disclosed herein to produce novelty thread, it is desirable that such a machine be capable of producing ordinary thread without the necessity of changing the feed means. Therefore, a further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable'strand feeding means for the production of novelty thread, which feeding means may be adjusted to feed several strands uniformly in the same manner as a standard spinning machine.

Where novelty thread has been produced in the past it has been customary to use a feed means in which one or more strands of material are left uncontrolled for short periods of time in order to produce the desired effect. The disadvantage of such devices is that the results which are obtained are not uniform in the novelty effect, and sometimes impossible of reproduction at a later date. Accordingly, a further object of this invention is to provide a feed device for producing novelty thread in which all of the strands will be under positive control at all times. To this end a further object of the invention is to provide a V roll in which a single strand may be gripped, and in which there will be no possibility of slippage.

In the past, where novelty thread has been produced, it has been customary to have all of the strands moving forward at varying speeds, or to have one strand standing still momentarily while another strand is wrapped about the first strand. In either case, it sometimes is desirable to have one strand wrapped about another for a short distance and then have the same strand rewrappedabout the other again so as to provide a layer of wrappings. This result is achieved by permitting one strand to wrap around another for a short distance, while one or both strands are traveling forward. The inner or base strand is then retracted for a short distance which causes the outer or covering strand to wrap around the same portion again, thus producing the effect of a layer. Therefore, a further object of this invention is to provide a method of twisting strands to form a thread in which one or more strands may be retracted to permit the formation of a novelty effect in the finished thread.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, and the steps of the method, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, is illustrated one embodiment of the invention, in which drawing similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a strand feeding device together with supply and spinning bobbins;

Figure 2 is a vertical section, partly in eleva tion, taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the feed device; and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail in horizontal section, taken approximately on line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking downward. V

Referring to the drawing, and particularly 'to Figure 1, 5 designates the'supply bobbins. Any desired number of strands may be twisted into a single thread, but three have been shown for the purpose of this. specification. From the supply bobbins 5, the individual strands, 6, 1 and 8, are led through eyes 9 of a common form of stop motion and then to a spiral guide ID. The guide 10 is formed with an extension II so that the guide may be mounted on any convenient portion of the spinning machine l4. From the guide ID the individual strands are led to the feed means designated generally as l2. From the feed means l2 the strands are returned to the spiral guide I 0 5 and thence to. a spinning bobbin l3 which is carried by the machine i4.

Referring to Figures ,2 and 3, the feed means comprises a'frame .|5 which is adjustably carried on a rod 16 and held in place by a set screw I 1. The rod I6 is .a part .of the spinning machine. Formed on'the frame! 5 is atubular extension I8 in which is disposed a bushing l9. Carried in the bushing l9 i's-a. rotatable shaft 26 .on the end of which is secured a pinion 2] by means of a setscrew 23 carried in a shoulder 22 of the pinion 2|. The pinion 2| and shaft 20 are operated by a driving gear 24.

The foregoing parts of the feed mechanism are of common construction and old in'the art. Ordinarily, the shaft '26 at. its end opposite the pinion 2| would. support the usual form of feed roll for providing a uniform feed for producing standard thread. r

Instead of the usualfeed roll on the shaft 20, .an open-ended housing'25 is rigidly secured to or carried by the shaft 20. The housing 25 may berectangular in cross-section and 'is provided with a longitudinal slot 26. Disposed through the slot.26 are one or more pins 21, each provided with a squared shoulder28 to abut the outer faceof the housing-25.. 'The inner end 29 of the pin 21 is threaded toreceive a nut 38 disposed within the housing 25. The nut 30 is of such dimensions that .it cannot rotate in the housing 25 but is free to move longitudinally of'the housing. The pin or pins 21 may be rigidly secured at any point along the housing 25 and may be loosened for the purpose of adjustment by applying a wrench to the squared shoulder 28. clear that the pins'21 may be entirely'removed by merely unscrewing them slightly and sliding them out of the open-end of the housing 25. The outer ends of the pins 21 are formed with a bead 3| to prevent a strand of material from over the end of the pin.

I material.

It Will besliding Also carried by the housing 25 is a shaft 32 similar in construction to the pins 21, but having its outer end 33 threaded to receive a nut 34. Carried by the shaft 32 is a plurality of V-shaped feed rolls designated generally as 35. The rolls 35 may be of any desired construction, or they may be formed of a plurality of curved plates 36, as shown in Figure 4. By making each roll 35 of two plates 36 it is possible to use metal stampings. It is essential that the baseof the V be sharply defined so as to grip a single strand of If desired, the contiguous faces of the plates 36 may be machined to insure a proper strand-gripping means. By using such a feed roll it is not necessary to wrap the material around the roll, but slippage is prevented as long as the material is engaged by a portion of the roll 35.

Any desired number of V rolls 35 may be built ,up on the shaft 32 and be held rigidly in position between the shoulder 28 and the nut 34. it will be noted that the shaft 32 may be rotated with respect to the retaining nut 30 so as to permit adjustment on the housing 25 without disturbing the plates 36 which make up the rolls 35.

The operation of the feed is as follows:

with the feed rolls 35. One strand 6 is led over the'first turn of the guide it! and thence to the first roll 35, and back to the second turn of the spiral guide l6,- passing over the upper pin '21. The second strand 1 isapplied in the same manner except that it is applied to the second roll 35 and passes over the second pin 21.

It will be noted that the-lower pin 21- is longer than the upper pin and the strand 1 is so placed in the spiral guide ID as to clear the outer end 3i of the upper pin 21. The third strand 8 is applied merely around a roll 35 and lead in the guide I6 so as to clear both of the pins 21. k Y p The pinion 2| is driven by the gear 24 and-the housing 25 rotates on a center shown as a broken line 31 in Figure 2. This causes a feeding of the strands 6, 1, and 8 to the spinning bobbin [3.

The nature of the feed of the individual strands will depend entirely on the relative locations of the feed rolls 35 and pins 21- on the housing drawing the strand 6 will feed more than the strand 1 and both of thesestrands will be fed more rapidly than the strand 8.

In the particular set-up shown in the" 25 The spiral guide 18 is disposed in alignment Where the upper side of a, pin 21' and the";

lower V of a roll 35 are equidistant from the center of rotation 31 the feed of a strand carried thereby will be practically uniform. Where the two parts are not equidistant the feed will be eccentric and vary during each revolution. It will be noted that strands 6 and 1 are sup- Strand 8 is carried only on the roll35. All of the roll 35is, on one side of the center of rotation 31, so that the feed of strand 8 will be forward during'the greater part of a single revo-' lution, but the strand 8 will be retracted temporarily during a portion of the single revolution.

In the position shown in Figure 3 the roll 35 carrying the strand 8 is almost at the extreme point of retraction. From this point onward as the housing 25 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, the strand 8 will be fed forward until the roll 35 reaches the point nearest to the guide Hi. This position may be readily i visualized by reference to Figure 1.

As the ro- "75 tation continues the strand 8 from. the supply bobbin will be drawn'downwa-rdly,but the portion of the strand 8 which has already been fed. to the guide I!) from the roll 35 will .be retracted. until the roll 35 passes the .position'shownuin.

Figure 3 and will then be fed forward again.

The effect of this retraction will be obvious. During the forward feed of the strand 8 the strands 5 and i will be Wrapped thereabout by reason of the fact that they are feeding at a faster rate since additional material is supplied from the feed bobbins 5 by the action of the pins 21. Consequently, the strands 5 and I will be wrapped in a layer around the strand 8. When the retraction of the strand 8 is commenced the strands 6 and 1 will still continue to wrap around the strand 8, but in a reverse direction longitudinally of the strand 8 so as to again cover the portion about which they were just wrapped. This will produce the effect of layers of material over an appreciable length of the finished thread as distinguished from a mere knot which is formed where there is no retraction.

It will be clear that endless variations in the feed may be effected. If the shaft 32 with the v rolls 35 is moved upward in the housing 25 so that the upper edge of the roll 35 is past the center of rotation 31, there will be no retraction of the strand 8. If the shaft 32 is moved into alignment with the center of rotation 3'! the feed of the strand 8 will be constant and uniform in the same manner as a standard feed roll. It is sometimes desirable to have one strand fed at a constant uniform rate and produce the novelty effect by having one or more strands wrapped around the base strand. Where the pins 21 are used the eccentricity of the feed of the individual strands will vary directly as the distance from the center of rotation 31 to the pin 27 varies with relation to the distance from the center of rotation 31 to the extremity of the feed roll 35.

It will be clear that any desired number of pins 2'! and feed rolls 35 may be used. This will depend upon how many strands are to be twisted and whether or not a different speed is to be given to each strand. Since the strand 6 passes over the short pin 2'! which is further removed from the center of rotation than the longer pin 21, the longer pin 21 will have no bearing on or interfere with the progress of the strand 6. Since the strand 1 clears the end of the short pin 21 this pin will not affect the strand I. The same thing applies where a greater number of pins 2? are used. It is only necessary that the shorter pins be uppermost.

It will also be clear that the pins 21 may be entirely removed and a plurality of shafts 32 carrying feed rolls 34 be substituted. This is not necessary, however, since the V rolls are able to maintain a sufficient grip on the individual strands to prevent slippage, and it is only necessary to provide the pins 21 to draw material from the supply bobbins 5as the feed device rotates. If it is desirable at any time to use the feed device for making standard thread with a uniform feed, it is necessary only to remove the pins 2'! entirely from the housing 25 and move the shaft 32 upward into alignment with the center of rotation 31. In this position the feed rolls 35 will function as standard feed rolls and deliver all strands of material at a uniform rate to the spinning bobbin l3.

If desired, calibrations may be placed on the sides of the housing 25 so that the rolls 35 or pins 21 maybe adjusted withv great'accuracy in order to reproduce a previously achieved effect in the finished thread. y The application of the device to a, standard spinning machine will be obvious, It is onlyi necessary to loosen theset'screwv 23 and'remove.

the shaft on which the standard feed roll is carried. The housing 25 and shaft 20 are then substituted and the standard spinning machine is ready to produce novelty thread or yarn. The effects to be produced can be definitely fixed since all of the strands are under positive control at all times. Where a particular effect has been produced it is only necessary .to note the location of the parts and to reset the parts at the same locations at any time in the future to reproduce the same design in the finished thread.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A strand feeding device comprising a single, continuously rotatable member, a plurality of independent strand feeding means operable from the rotatable member and means to adjust the strand feeding means to vary the feed of strands.

2. A strand feeding device comprising a continuously rotatable supporting member and a plurality of strand feeding means carried by and adjustable with relation to the supporting member.

3. A strand feeding device comprising a continuously rotatable supporting member and a plurality of strand feeding means carried by and adjustable with relation to the supporting member and with relation to each other.

4. A strand feeding device comprising an elongated, slotted supporting member and a plurality of feed members carried by the supporting member and projecting through the slot.

5. A strand feeding device comprising an elongated, slotted supporting member and a plurality of feed members carried by the supporting member and projecting through the slot, said feed members being movable in the slot of the supporting member.

6. A strand feeding device comprising an elongated, slotted supporting member, a strand contacting pin disposed through the slot and a second strand contacting means disposed through the slot.

'7. A strand feeding device comprising a rotatable housing and V-shaped feed roll adjustably carried by the housing.

8. A strand feeding device comprising a rotatable housing and a V-shaped feed roll adjustably carried by the housing, said V-shaped roll being formed of a pair of complementary curved plates.

9. A strand feeding device comprising a rotatable slotted housing, a pin carried by the housing, said pin having an enlarged portion to abut the housing and a portion projecting from the housing to ride against a strand and a second strand contacting means carried by the housing.

10. A strand feeding device comprising a rotatable slotted housing, adjustable strand feeding means and means to secure the strand feeding means to the housing comprising a nut in the housing to receive the end of a strand feeding element and an enlarged portion on the strand feeding element to abut the housing.

11. A strand feeding device comprising a rotatable supporting member and strand feeding means carried by the supporting member and rotatable therewith, at least one of the feeding means being located entirely on one side of the center of rotation so as to first'feed and then retract a strand.

12. The method of spinning which consists in feeding a plurality of strands to a spinning bobbin at varying rates of speed and retracting one strand during the operation.

13. 'I'hemethod of spinning which consists in feeding a plurality of strands to a spinning bobbin, varying the rate of feed of at least one strand and temporarily retracting at least one strand at intervals.

JOHN H. JEWET'I, JR.v 

